The Guild
Arcane magic is probably one of the greatest, yet most mysterious magical forces in the world. It lacks any true affiliation, no deity or spirits to connect it to, as are seen of Divine and Primal powers. The origins of Arcana are completely unknown, and, when untamed, it is therefore the greatest threat to sentient life. The fickle nature of the blessing (or curse) of Arcane abilities is also an unsolved conundrum. Nearly all the races of Kerlonna can give birth to the uncommon child who can move things with their mind, start small fires in anger, or even leap great distances on a buffet of air. If these children were to mature without instruction and organization, they could spell doom for the entire continent. This is where the Guild's duty lies. They are a Kerlonna-wide apolitical organization who comprise nearly all of the taught Arcane users, called Wizards, in the land. (Those arcanists whose power is drawn from their draconic blood, the sorcerers, are found only among kobolds and the Nyadegtaan.) Centrally located in Cil Adasiga, only miles north of the dead city of Marnoz, and on the coast of the Tlankuram, the Guild makes it their duty to travel the continent over, and search out the gifted young ones of the several races. They evaluate their potential abilities and, if promising, they will take custody of the child and bring them back to Cil Adasiga (or the the nearest Guild hall) for training in the mastery of the Arcane. The Guild was founded before the Federation even formed from the warring city-states of the Tlankuram eight centuries ago, and has existed as a free entity, untouchable by the many nations, for centuries upon centuries. The only man ever able to bind the Guild to his will was Yenatar Malkerian, and to believe another like him will ever come along again is to hope for far too much. Alignment Lawful Neutral. Members All wizards of Kerlonna, with the exception of those in Tefaruq. Founding Year Pre-Marnic Year 250. Territory Though originally founded as an apolitical organisation, the Guild has ruled the city of Cil Adasiga in central Kerlonna since Free Year 12. The surrounding territories have increasingly come under the Guild’s sway as its power has grown. Guildhalls can be found in major cities throughout most of Kerlonna, but the only halls currently in Taresani are in Sydä, Sekaag, and Tsrin, and only the Sekaagna hall is of notable size. Purpose The Guild was founded by the efforts of the Brethren of Shilva, the oldest wizardly order in the known world at the time. Accepting both altruism and egoism as useful ends, but demanding discipline and obedience, the Brethren were disturbed by disunity and lack of informational exchange among the wizards of Kerlonna. As the preeminent order, the Brethren had enough status to call what they called the First Conclave, an assembly of the orders as well as the unaligned (wizards without an order), in PMY 250. After a month of deliberation, the four greatest orders (the Brethren of Shilva, the Uncrowned Kings, the Kasurlel, and the Vowkeepers) coalesced into what they simply named “the Guild.” Their purpose was to provide a stable governance and hierarchy for wizards, independent of secular and religious politics, not to mention the sorcerous lineages of the Nyadegtaan and the kobolds. In time, the Guild became the wizardly government and culture that it is today. Hierarchy The Guild combines elements of a religious brotherhood and university (the latter increasingly rare since the disintegration of the Federation). Mobility in the ranks is more reliant on wizardly ability than one might expect, but political skill is still important. The breezy egalitarianism and reciprocity of a sorcerous lineage is unheard of for the Guild. Some find the extensive rules of conduct cumbersome in both training and original research, but none can question the Guild’s stability, internal harmony, and discipline. Though during the Federal Era the Guild was centralised at the great university of Teogene in northern Drecitou, it is now much more diffused throughout Kerlonna and Taresani. Early training can be done at any guildhall, and only the highest-ranking members of the order are required to travel frequently to Cil Adasiga. The Newsworn Newsworn is the first rank in the Guild, when arcane ability has only just been identified and often before the individual has received basic training at a guildhall. This usually occurs before adolescence (or the emotional equivalent for elves), around the age of ten for humans, fifty for elves, and twenty-five for gnomes. The child is taken, with familial consent, to a guild hall for training and spends most of their early years learning the history, code of conduct, and structure of the Guild, as well as (for many) literacy. Total devotion to the studies is the ideal, and newsworn are entirely forbidden from leaving the ground of the guildhall. During their early studies, the newsworn also begin learning the languages of their fellow Guild races and developing the inimitably idiosyncratic creole of wizards, Teogenoi. The name ‘newsworn’ derives from the basic vows that they take, pledging loyalty to the Guild and honest commitment to the practice of wizardry. The Acolytes Acolytes are elevated from newsworn only when a gathering of elders deems such elevation appropriate. Typically, it takes a decade of training to reach acolyte status. During acolyte initiation, a senior wizard recites the more extensive training rules of the rank, as well as the new privileges. Due to the volatile nature of what is being taught, the Guild needs to ensure that acolytes remain firmly loyal, especially since for humans, it is an emotionally erratic and reckless period of life. To this end, acolyte initiation concludes with a geas being laid on the student, binding them to only being able to speak with Guild members: anyone else and their mouth will simply be unable to open. Similarly, if they attempt to write a message to a non-member, their hand and fingers relax, unable to grip the quill. During acolyte training, students mainly learn magical theory, studying the seven schools and contemplating which seems the most appealing. Acolytes are permitted to travel, but only to other guildhalls or research sites with an elder Guild member. Unlike worldly education for the nobility, a cooperative rather than competitive attitude is fostered among acolytes, to both help them academically and ingrain loyalty to the Guild. Heterosexual activity is highly discouraged at this age, as pregnancy makes life needlessly complex for a student. Elevation from the rank occurs when a student either decisively shows that they are skilled at the early spells of their school or, in rare cases, gifted enough to study in multiple schools. This typically takes five to eight years. The Speakers Speaker is the typical rank for younger wizard adventurers. At initiation into this rank, the geas of speechlessness is lifted and the wizard is considered mature enough to travel independently. Elves typically depart from the Guild training at this period (usually around the age of seventy to eighty) and return to life in the forest, as they still feel childish emotionally and are happy to study things other than wizardry. Humans zealously continue their studies, and gnomes usually stay with the guildhalls as well. Half-elven speakers combine burning human ambition and the cool arcane competence of elves to shoot rapidly through the ranks. As a result, the speakers in guildhalls are predominantly human and gnomish. Speakers act often as couriers, messengers, and (unofficially) spies for elders in the Guild. At this rank, the ban on heterosexual activity is somewhat relaxed, but speakers are still expected to focus heavily on learning their craft. Typical speakers keep the rank for: twelve years for humans; twenty-one for gnomes; five for half-elves; and sixty for elves. Elves do much of their studying in the forest with elder elven wizards, only occasionally returning to a guildhall when on a mission in service of the Guild. Speakers do not teach younger wizards, but they often befriend the newsworn and help them understand Guild behaviour and expectations. The Disciples Disciple is the rank for the majority of wizards in Kerlonna and Taresani. At this rank, a wizard is considered fully competent in their school or schools, and can do extensive independent research in wizardry. Some elect to study comparative magical theory if they are charismatic enough to earn the trust of a sorcerous lineage, while others take residence at Cil Adasiga, poring over the tomes of the Vatheot Library. Disciples often have bright hopes of a great magical theory connecting druidism, the miracles of clerics, sorcery, and wizardry. It is thus deeply disappointing for them to learn that unlike wizardry, these cousin magical arts are often irrational and intuitive, inconsistent and introspective. Disciples are physically independent, but they are now fully bound by a substantial code of discipline, hence the title. Those who become involved in illicit research and are discovered are severely punished without exception. By this rank, most members have mastered Teogenoi and are competent in the two non-native languages of the Guild races. After achieving this rank, the time it takes to ascent to the next is entirely dependent on the individual (if they reach the rank at all). The Wakers Wakers are so named because at this rank, the wizard is granted the weighty responsibility of searching out children with arcane talent to become newsworn. A waker is considered a Guild elder regardless of age, and has a formidable command of their school or schools. They are granted extensive privileges in halls and Cil Adasiga, and are considered responsible enough to have access to the Lower Mysteries, the secret sections of the Vatheot Library where potentially dangerous knowledge is kept. Wakers, however, are not circumscribed with responsibilities, and many can be found adventuring, usually looking for obscure magical artefacts or hunting a known enemy of the Guild. Some wakers, in addition, hold the influential position of diplomats, serving as Cil Adasiga’s representatives to the various nations and peoples. Though usually only aging wizards (not counting half-elves) become wakers, anything is possible at this high level of seniority. Magical experiments considered dangerous for lower ranks may also be performed by wakers. The Masters Master is a rank only for the truly outstanding wizard, by gift or by experience. This venerable rank commands deep respect from the lower ranks and awe from mundane folk, and in battle they show power that devastates lesser beings. Masters only gain their rank by outstanding service to the Guild that clearly demonstrates their discipline, wisdom, and power. Masters command guildhalls, typically individually or in pairs, holding near-absolute authority. In Cil Adasiga, the masters gain access to the Higher Mysteries, fabled vaults somewhere beneath the city where the old treasure of Teogene and even the bones of Nyadeg are said to lie. In governance, the masters have the rarely-exercised authority to protest the actions of an Archmaster, though they must have the support of at least ten other masters when doing so. Though their status is lofty, the masters are not recluses like their superiors but are highly active in the day-to-day management of their guildhalls. When they are absent from the halls or Cil Adasiga, which is rare, they are usually involved in vital and confidential affairs of the Guild, and are often undercover as less imposing wizards. The Archmasters The Archmasters are best described by the name they took from one of the four Founding Orders: the Uncrowned Kings. In casual Guild terminology, they are called the Thrones, or the Seven. Each Archmaster is considered the absolute pinnacle of their school (though all of them have great skill in multiple schools) and has arcane power comparable to that of a minor deity. Most that is known about them is half-truth and Guild folklore, and even their names are unknown to non-elders. It is suspected that the Archmasters maintain a great geas upon the elders, ensuring that nothing but the barest minimum of information spreads concerning the Uncrowned Kings. It is believed that the Archmasters reside in a palace in Cil Adasiga, but even that is unsure. What is sure is their level of power: even when armed with the phylactery of an ancient lich and having caught the other seven by surprise, the Archmaster of the necromancers was only barely able to escape with his life soon after. Punishment Inevitably in an organisation of such extent, the Guild occasionally has to deal with wizards who act outside its laws. There is a distinction between arcane and anarcane laws: the punishment for arcane crime is far harsher than the anarcane. Prisoners of the Guild are held at a secret location somewhere outside of Cil Adasiga, and those that are released (and they are few) have no recollection of their treatment. In distant regions such as Taresani, the Guild leaves interpretation of law up to the master of the guild hall in question. However, the punishment of execution is rare, as “the blood of a wizard is more precious than the blood of thousands.” The only way to get a sure-fire execution is to practice necromancy or uncontrolled conjuration and get caught. More often, a wizard accused of reckless magic will, if found guilty, be bound with a sealing spell that limits their magical ability and a geas requiring them to stay under the control of an elder at all times. Non-members who cross the Guild (usually sorcerers or warlocks) are prosecuted far more harshly, so they tend to step carefully around it. Rogue wizards who are self-trained are welcome to the Guild; rogue wizards who have left the Guild are imprisoned or killed. Relations The Guild’s primary relationships are with the sorcerous lineages and the Unburnt (the latter being the wicked brotherhood of warlocks). The Guild treats the lineages with a mixture of respect and lordliness: while a few lineages are more than twice the Guild’s age, the instability and heady democracy of lineage politics seems just on the verge of total chaos to the duteous wizards. For the most part, sorcerers and the Guild merely tolerate each other, and the severest point of contention is that the Guild holds the bones of Nyadeg, the draconic all-father of the Nyadegtaan (and by extension, their sorcerers), underneath Cil Adasiga. The bones were assembled by the Guild five centuries ago, having bought, stolen, looted, and extorted the pieces from the Nyadegtaan across Kerlonna and Taresani. The Guild maintains that such intensely powerful magical items must be kept safe under the superior protection that the Guild can offer. The Nyadegtaan resentfully retort that the wizards have stolen the body of a god to whom they have no connection, and that the Guild has twice neared collapse itself, weakening the credibility of any argument concerning the security of Guild “stewardship.” However, on the individual level, sorcerers and wizards can often become close allies, especially if they are fellow adventurers. It should also be clearly distinguished that this particular disagreement does not apply between the Guild and kobold sorcerers. The Guild, like most of the civilised world, simply overlooks the kobolds as “sentient vermin,” and has little regard for their ancient sorcerous traditions. Wizards, to their severe detriment, tend to drastically overlook kobold magic when confronting them, leading often to a rather short battle. The Guild and the Unburnt, on the other hand, regard each other with equal measures bitterness, wary fascination, and political realism. The first warlocks were conjurers during the Ahrese Crisis who fled the Guild to take refuge in the protection of fiends. The Guild regards the Unburnt as vicious upstarts without understanding of the entities from which their dreadful power flows. The warlocks, in turn, hold the wizards to be hidebound, querulous scholastics. However, both are acutely aware that the other group is extremely powerful, and they try to maintain at least a degree of mutual civility. The Guild knows very little about the hermetic covens of the druids, but regards them with esteem due to their mutual abhorrence of the undead, as well as the careful studiousness with which the druids regard nature. During the Grey Revolt of the necromancers, the Guild formed an alliance with the druids, allowing the latter to hunt and exterminate necromancers that attempted to flee the Guild in the wilderness. Religion Though often portrayed as cold, magic-obsessed academicians with little interest in worship or religious study, many wizards are, in fact, intensely religious, seeking a higher explanation for the mighty force they wield or battle against. Though they always treated the old dragon-cults with disdain, the holistic teachings of the Cagas Guapran have attracted a significant minority of converts from the Guild. Many conjurers join secret cabals that worship the outsiders they summon, often associating outsiders with esoteric knowledge and secret transmissions of truth. Elven wizards strongly cleave to their native animistic beliefs and veneration of their hero-gods, the Daviskar, and treat attempts by non-elves to convert them with undisguised hostility. A few gnomes abandon the worship of the Architects, and are mostly drawn to Sahullam (though mainly only in guildhalls of western Kerlonna, of course). Humans mainly keep to their native faiths, often becoming particularly devout revering a god of mysteries and learning, though of course there are also ta’Ullami and Guaprals among them. Historically, necromancers were patrons of the Cult of the Speechless God, and the destruction of the Grey School was highly controversial in some regions of Kerlonna, as the wizards hunted the necromancers even into the dwellings of the Silent Children, ignoring the severe taboo against disturbing such places. History A full history of the Guild will be written later. The Guild began with the First Conclave in PMY 250, and a decade later had entirely assimilated all other orders. The university at Teogene was founded in PMY 163 to serve as a unifying location as well as a refuge for Guild artefacts. The Guild was unconcerned with the rise of the city of Marnoz and the Federation. Beginning around MY 80, a radical faction called the Ahrese arose among the school of conjuration, demanding that the limitations on their studies be lifted. The elders of the Guild flatly denied them, precipitating the Ahrese Crisis in MY 87, when a group of radical leaders tore open an infernal gate in the wilds of Kerlonna. The Ahrese were destroyed or became the first warlocks, most of the world’s tieflings were created, and an accursed crater called the Gatescar burned to the bedrock there. The Guild recovered, but the conjurers have had an unsavoury reputation since then. What nearly destroyed the Guild was the Grey Revolt during the collapse of the Marnic Federation, when the corrupt and evil Archmaster of the necromancers attempted to murder the other seven. The Revolt lasted for eight years and resulted in the destruction of the Teogenoi University, the extermination of the Grey School, and the imprisonment of the Grey Archmaster’s soul within a statue by the Uncrowned Kings. In some ways, the Guild has still not recovered.